GAMBIT #3 - November 1997

Summary:Gambit escapes with Anielle, as Oliver Stoker kidnaps Katrina.Gambit follows Katrina’s orders and travels to the Vatican with Anielle, while Stoker tortures Katrina with images of the late Marcelo as a demon. While on a train to Rome, Sibyl and Stoker’s demonic hound Cerberus track down Gambit.A plague of locusts emerges from Sibyl’s mouth.

“Huh?” Moments: The nun in the church Gambit crashed into at the end of the last issue is now supposed to be Katrina.Aside from the fact that Gambit didn’t recognize her voice last issue, how exactly she managed to be at the right church at the right time is unclear (if she’s supposed to have powers, she hasn’t shown them so far; plus, Stoker consistently refers to her as a “mortal.”)Also, Anielle is suddenly wearing clothes under Gambit’s trenchcoat in-between panels.

Review:This issue is light on plot, but it’s heavy on running.The first third of the issue is entirely dedicated to Gambit running away from Stoker, while the majority of the rest of the story focuses on his escape to Europe with Anielle.The story does introduce the idea that perhaps Marcelo (and even Gambit) have been doing Stoker’s will all along, but this comes from Stoker himself so there’s no real reason to trust the revelations.The angel mystery advances slowly, as Gambit spends more time with Anielle, who still doesn’t speak but now seems to have some telepathic communication with Gambit.She offers some vague clues about him making her “special,” just before Sibyl pops up to show off her freaky new powers.It all looks appropriately dark and gritty, which helps a rather mundane plot.